新托福阅读材料：城市让生活更美好

会计考友

城市化已成为目前世界上大部分国家都要面对的课题，那么，人类的城市化进程如何能与大自然和谐共处，如何给更多人的未来带来希望呢?接下来，我们就来探讨一下本届上海世博会的主题：城市让生活更美好。  
# Y' h* V* W! s$ K4 s" \, N9 e- x　　Gardens in the streets instead of parking places for carbon-emitting cars mean a 7% increase in your property value. Walking-only zones in city centers increase retail sales in those areas by up to 20%. Happier planet, in other words, happier people.
7 b/ P" r" w; q* y+ t
% _  E5 C* O8 Q. {　　These results come from a recent report from Transportation Alternatives (TA), the New York City group--of which I am a board member--that advocates both for livable streets and for safe and easy biking, walking and transit use.

　　Citing the TA report, the New York Observer writes:

. H8 Q7 z' {+ i) s! W　　In Grand Rapids, Mich., property values increased by nearly one-third following traffic-calming measures.

6 j  T! C) T8 l. ]0 S2 C1 y　　An effort to make downtown Melbourne, Australia, more livable spurred a 50 percent pedestrian volume increase over 10 years. The number of outdoor cafes quadrupled and the number of cafe seats nearly tripled.
8 q$ P  k% S0 Z2 v. N
" ^9 Z$ K, G  E1 B7 u, P　　After two through-traffic streets in Cambridge, England, were closed, daily traffic levels dropped by more than 7,300 vehicles with no effect on retail.

　　A survey of shoppers in central London retail districts found that those who walked to stores spent much more over the week than those who drove.
' A9 x( u4 ~: W; K+ ]- K2 w4 d' M
7 l5 f! p) A( R) A; X) `' J! A　　As the Observer says, and I have to assume this would be true of most cities:

1 S4 o3 \1 i) T1 I, t　　"The gathering evidence suggests a sunny mantra: Design additional livable streets and New Yorkers would come—and property owners and retailers would benefit."